A Brief History of the Creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
What began in the 1880’s as a plan for an Appalachian Forest Reserve, became the most visited National Park in the United States. How that all came about is a fascinating story of wealthy industrialists, lumber camps, small towns, school children, civilian work camps, the great depression, and several US Presidents.
By the late 1800s, Asheville and the surrounding mountains had long been known as an outstanding health resort area. In 1901 a group of influential businessmen including George Vanderbilt and Gifford Pinchot (soon to become the first head of the US Forest Service) met in Asheville and created the Appalachian National Park Association. They convinced Congress to commission a $5,000 study of the national forest project.
Western National Parks had been created on existing government land. This could not be the case in the East, where private ownership was the rule. There was much opposition to the idea, notably from Speaker of the House Joseph “not one cent for scenery” Cannon. However in 1911, the Weeks Act and subsequent Clarke-McNary Amendment in 1924 became law and eenabled the government to purchase any desirable forest lands. This paved the way for national parks in the Southern Appalachians. In 1924, a Department of the Interior Committee visited several National Park contenders, actually camping and hiking for a week in the Smokies. They were overwhelmed with the majesty and beauty of the area: the decision was made.
Negotiations began with logging companies who owned large parcels of land, owners of around 6000 small farms and other properties. The process dragged on for almost 8 years.
A fund raising campaign generated nickels and dimes from schoolchildren, as well as private individuals, governments and organizations. $5,000,000 in funds came as a matching grant from the Laura Spellman Rockefeller Memorial. Funds from the two states were almost equally provided, along with $3,503,766 from the federal government.
Both Tennessee and North Carolina lay claim to early promotion of the Park. One such individual on the North Carolina “side” was Horace Kephart, author of Our Southern Highlanders, and often called one of the “fathers” of the Park. His booklet, “A National Park in the Great Smoky Mountains” was published by the Swain County Chamber of Commerce in 1925 and widely distributed
In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a part of his New Deal, created the Civilian Conservation Corps, members of which built much of the basic infrastructure of the park such as roads, trails and buildings.
The Park was officially established on June 15, 1934 and in October of that year the 10-cent GSMNP stamp went on sale to commemorate the official birthday year.
On September 2, 1940, thousands of people gathered at Newfound Gap to hear President Roosevelt, who stood with one foot in each state at the Rockefeller Memorial, dedicate the park that he had been quite influential in building.
Sources —
Fontana – A Pocket History of Appalachia by Lance Holland.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 75th Website. |
